


We Persevere

by honestgrins



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7266148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline has chosen Stefan, but they still have some issues to work out. Bonnie is devastated and helpless (again) over the loss of Damon and Enzo. Alaric has to adjust to just co-parenting with Caroline, just as Stefan has to adjust to Caroline’s new familial responsibilities. [Post-S7, without the time jump]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Close

**Author's Note:**

> We Persevere is my personal project to address the awful things of TVD Season 7 in the aftermath. This picks up right after the Steroline kiss in the finale, without the time jump to smooth over their issues. Many thanks to my beta bestie, the fabulous Jenn!

"I lied earlier."

Stefan narrowed his eyes, unsure what she was talking about.

Scrunching her nose up, Caroline took a minuscule step toward him. "There was a thaw," she teased.

He huffed out a relieved laugh. When she didn't move, though, he sobered. Three years of missing this woman plus her understandable anger upon his return made him hesitant. His steps were measured as he kept his eyes on her face, prepared to pull back and redirect at the first sign of rejection.

But it was Caroline. She was warm, welcoming…waiting. She was waiting for him.

Pushing past his fear, Stefan reached up to gently hold her face. He didn't allow himself to hesitate anymore and brought his lips down to hers.

Caroline met the kiss, simple in its sweetness. He backed away, probably to gauge her reaction, but she refused to give him any reason to run. She smiled, helpless to do anything else when he was there with her.

When he didn't smile, she worried that all the fighting they after three years apart was all for something that wasn't there anymore. But he gulped, sending her all the way back to their very first kiss at her family cabin. He leaned into her again, effectively keeping her in the moment.

He could feel Caroline melt into their kiss, something inside him breaking free as her arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled her hips into him, crowding her closer. His arms had never felt so full, heavy as they were around her waist. For three years, he was terrified he would never have this again.

Stefan ran a hand up her back, squeezing at her neck as he ended the kiss with a few affectionate nips. "Finally," he sighed.

Leaning her forehead against his, Caroline giggled lightly. She felt breathless. "I'll say," she whispered, biting her lip. "Um, so what now?"

He nuzzled at her nose, more than content to stand there for another three years if she'd be there with him. "Well," he said, "Damon's okay, probably wants to drink away the rest of the night."

"Ric took the girls to my m- to my old house," she added, grinning at Stefan's jolt of surprise. "They're leaving tomorrow to pack up the Dallas house, a little daddy-daughter trip."

"Oh," Stefan exhaled. He hated the discomfort he felt at how casually Caroline could talk about her family when she held him at arm's length.

Threading her fingers through his hair, Caroline gently scratched at his scalp. "Hey," she said in a conciliatory tone. "I meant that I don't have anywhere else to be."

"Oh," he said more surely. The muscles of his face stretched unfamiliarly, like it had been too long since he really smiled. "In that case," he drawled out, hugging her tightly. "Let's go home."

She held his hand in the car, absently tangling her fingers through his all the way to the boarding house. Her nerves were buzzing with anticipation, so she turned the radio up to focus on anything else.

Caroline hummed along with the music, the throaty sound distracting in the best way. Stefan couldn't stop smiling. "I love you," he said, unable to hold it in. Even after everything, this moment was perfect to him.

The humming stopped, and Stefan looked over to find her watching him. Her grip on his hand had gone slack, though he could sense the panic racing through her. "Caroline," he said, unworried as he brought their hands to his lips. "I'm not leaving you again, even if you can't say it back yet. I will happily prove it every day."

"I want to believe you," she answered softly, meeting his gaze in the darkness.

"I'll take it," he replied with a shrug, smiling when she rolled her eyes. God, had he missed her.

Pulling into the driveway, Stefan sighed in relief as he turned off the ignition. "What is it about coming home that's so cathartic?"

Caroline immediately thought of Josie and Lizzie. "If you're lucky, it's a place of unconditional love," she answered, shyly looking over to him. She couldn't give him the words, but he did have a place in her heart. "Whatever happens in the rest of the world doesn't have to matter when you're home."

Stefan's hand drifted up into her hair, grinning at her explanation and feeling particularly at home just sitting in the car with her.

Before their staring contest could get even more intense, Caroline opened her door and pulled away laughing. "Come on," she ordered when he didn't move. "I could use a drink."

He watched her bounce impatiently until he got out of the car, taking her hand in his before heading inside the boarding house.

* * *

Pouring a second glass of bourbon, Caroline smiled as Stefan lit the fireplace. "Did you hear back from Damon?"

"No," Stefan answered, remembering the text she made him send about giving them the night. He checked her phone that was sitting on the coffee table. "Bonnie answered yours, though. She's at the cabin, waiting for Enzo to bring Damon back."

Caroline snorted, handing Stefan his drink. "That won't be awkward at all," she joked.

The way it hit Stefan's ear made their own situation more awkward than it should have been. Setting his glass aside, he reached for her waist. "Caroline-"

"Not tonight," she pleaded, tired of the awkwardness, too. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I just- I've missed you so much. I'm tired of hurting."

Pinching his eyes shut, Stefan leaned his face into her neck. He hated the pain in her voice; he hated that he was the one to hurt her. His lips landed against her throat. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Slowly, Caroline pulled his face up to hers. She gently wiped a tear from his eye, ignoring her own streaming down her cheek. Trailing kisses from his eyes down to his lips, she whispered, "We'll be better."

"We will," he promised, quiet and determined. He cradled her close, reverent in the way he kissed her. Feathering his lips against hers, he questioned why it took him so long to get back to this. One of her hands cupped the back of his neck, and he could feel her finally smile in their embrace. When the other hand picked its way underneath his shirt to stroke at his back, he smiled, too. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Her smile turned coy as she pulled back, plucking at his jacket. "Is it working?"

With a wicked grin, he flashed them up to his bedroom before she could blink.

Caroline gasped at the rush, and her eyes widened in the dark room. Licking her lips, it finally hit her. She was in Stefan's bedroom, with Stefan. In three years, she hadn't-

"Give me a minute," she asked uncertainly, heading toward the bathroom. "Let me freshen up?"

He nodded, turning to light yet another fireplace. The mood lighting could only help; the night felt oddly like their first time all over again…again. The feeling only got more nerve-wracking the longer Caroline was in the bathroom.

After a full five minutes, Stefan knocked on the door. "Caroline, are you okay?"

Her voice was small in the other room. "No."

Stefan opened the door slowly to find her backed against the counter, hiding her face in her hands. "Hey," he said, gliding his hands up her arms. "What's wrong?"

"I want you," she answered.

While those words might have sent a rush of pleasure through him, it was immediately dampened by her miserable tone. He hugged her, brushing a hand over her hair as she breathed into his shirt. She didn't seem to be crying, but Stefan's heart clenched at her obvious stress. "Breathe, Caroline," he said calmly, just like the night she turned years earlier.

"I'm sorry," she groaned, embarrassed. This was Stefan; he had seen her at her worst. It wasn't like they hadn't slept together before. "I haven't-"

"It's okay," he assured her, pressing his lips against her temple. "We've got all the time in the world," he said, unbelievably happy at how true that statement was. "Do you want to borrow more comfortable clothes to sleep in?"

She bit her lip, a grateful smile peeking out. "Something flannel," she joked weakly.

Placing another kiss on her forehead, he smiled. "You got it."

Caroline watched him go, only to laugh when a flannel shirt was tossed through the door. It was followed by a pair of sweatpants, which had her smiling at the consideration. Even if it took her a while to process the situation, he was still Stefan, and he would wait for her to be ready.

As he sat on his bed waiting for Caroline to come back, Stefan couldn't tamp down the smile on his face. Despite her worries, the domesticity felt right. The peaceful calm washed over him when she appeared in his doorway. She had foregone the sweatpants, her lean legs were covered only by the length of the flannel shirt. Stefan swallowed at the sight, distracting himself with her bashful smile instead. "Hey."

Her smile grew wider at the familiar greeting. She drew toward the bed, climbing into the other side. Stefan turned to face her as they both lie down, and she couldn't resist stealing a good night kiss. Nipping at his lip, the arousal still fought for satisfaction. "Are you sure-"

"I just want to hold you," he admitted, pulling her close. "You're here with me, that's all the matters."

Settling against his chest, Caroline let sleep overtake her. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Stefan awoke slowly, a luxury he had yet to get used to since losing the scar. He took in the room around him, the feeling of home second only to the warm bed. He reached a hand across the sheet, frowning when a certain blonde wasn't there. "Caroline?"

"Here," she said as she walked in the door. Still in his shirt, she held a mug in one hand and a blood bag in the other. She sat next to where he lay on the bed, holding out both options. "Coffee or breakfast?"

Tugging lightly on the flannel, Stefan pulled her closer for a lingering kiss. He smiled sleepily as he accepted the coffee. "Good morning," he said quietly.

Caroline met his gaze seriously as she sipped at the blood bag. Setting it aside, she kept her eyes on his. "Good morning," she replied, her voice husky. She leaned in, taking his lips in a deeper kiss.

Happy to reciprocate, Stefan quickly put the mug on his nightstand without leaving Caroline's lips. When her tongue slipped in with purpose, though, he pulled back. "Caroline, we don't ha-"

"I know," she answered with a calm smile. "I want to. It seems silly to keep waiting for a happily ever after when it's right here." His hair had gone limp during sleep, and she tenderly pushed it off his forehead. "You're right here," she whispered.

Sitting up, Stefan gathered her into his arms. "I'm here," he affirmed, trailing his hand up to hold her cheek. "And I'm not leaving you again."

"Then what are we waiting for," she asked, smile bright. She crowded closer as she kissed him, leading him to lay back on the bed. Her hand began to wander into his shirt when the front door burst open downstairs.

"Damon and Enzo are missing," Bonnie announced in a frantic voice.

Caroline sighed as Stefan froze. "Coming, Bonnie," she called out, placing a light kiss on Stefan's cheek. "It'll be fine," she assured him, even if Damon getting into trouble always seemed to ruin everything.

She pulled him out of bed, but Stefan's thoughts were crashing around him. He had been so worried about keeping Caroline that he forgot all about his own brother. Once it hit him, he flashed downstairs to meet Bonnie in the foyer. "What happened?"

"They never made it back to the cabin," Bonnie explained, worried. "I fell asleep waiting, so I didn't even notice until I woke up. They're not answering their phones."

"Okay," Caroline said, having arrived at a human pace. "Stefan will give you some blood for a locator spell. They're probably just holed up in a bar, celebrating."

With the way Bonnie was shaking, Stefan didn't think that was the case.

"They can't stand each other unless I'm there," she pointed out. "And I can't do a locator spell."

"Why not?" Stefan asked, gripping Bonnie's shoulder to keep her steady. When she didn't answer, his concern grew to panic. "Why not, Bonnie?"

Sighing, the witch's wide eyes met his. "My magic is gone."


	2. End of the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Bonnie just told Stefan and Caroline that Damon and Enzo never made it back from the Armory, so they're looking for clues. Many thanks to my beta bestie, the fabulous Twilight016!

Slamming the door of her SUV, Caroline shuffled the tote bag heavily onto her shoulder. She was running late to the Armory, given that Bonnie and Stefan had left right away in hopes of figuring out where Damon and Enzo were. Instead, Caroline took the morning for preparation.

After checking in with Ric and the girls on their road trip to Dallas, Caroline set about making the boarding house more suitable for living. She stocked up on groceries and blood bags before giving the whole place a decent cleaning. Three years of dust was no joke, but it was also the perfect distraction from the turmoil of those she loved.

Caroline elbowed her way into the Armory and found a frazzled Bonnie nearly tearing out her hair in frustration. Surrounded by books, Bonnie was robotically turning pages in an ancient-looking tome. "Bon?"

"There's nothing here," Bonnie answered in a wan voice. "I've been through this one twice now, but nothing."

Reaching for her tote, Caroline set the cardboard drink carrier in her other hand down on the table. "I got you a green tea," she said as she dug through her bag. "I also picked up some books I found at the boarding house. I doubt anyone has searched them for mentions of the Armory."

Bonnie grabbed them from her hands, completely ignoring Caroline's unsubtle reminder to drink something in her despair. Sighing, she plucked the plain black coffee from the carrier. "Where's Stefan?"

Finally, Bonnie met her gaze. "The vault is locked," she answered.

Narrowing her eyes, Caroline crossed her arms at the cagey explanation. "Okay?" she drawled.

"He's trying to get in anyway."

Caroline pushed out a measured breath. This had been her fear since Stefan froze at the news of Damon's disappearance; he would do anything to get his brother back, with no regard for his own needs. Focusing her senses, she could hear distant thuds from deep inside the building. "Thanks," she sighed.

Taking a blood bag from the overstocked tote, Caroline left the rest of it with Bonnie. "There are snacks if you get hungry, too," she said. "And drink your tea before it gets cold."

It was small, but a smile definitely pulled at Bonnie's lips. "Yes, ma'am," she teased the bossy blonde.

Grinning brightly in return, Caroline turned away with Stefan's coffee and a blood bag in hand. Her smile dimmed the further she got from Bonnie. The rhythmic thudding grew louder as she walked. Her heart ached when she found Stefan throwing himself against the locked door of the vault.

She watched him for a moment, his movements tired and sluggish; he had clearly been at it for a while.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, dangling the blood bag from her fingertips. "I've got coffee, too, but it looks like you could use this a bit more."

Dragging a hand over his face, Stefan shook his head. "Damon could be-"

"Fine," Caroline finished. She rolled her eyes at his indignant look, but she softened at the desolation in his eyes. "I'm not saying there's nothing wrong. I just think you're stuck on worst case scenarios and it's clouding your judgment."

Stefan sagged against the bolted door. "He could be trapped in there, and even my vampire strength isn't enough to get in," he admitted. His face crumpled in shame. "I shouldn't have left him."

Biting her lip, Caroline knew she wasn't qualified for this therapy session. It hurt too much for Stefan to regret leaving with her, even though she knew he didn't mean it like that. Worse, she had no idea how to help Stefan in missing Damon when she didn't particularly like her stupid sire in the first place.

All she felt comfortable doing was supporting Stefan and Bonnie the only way she could: by smothering them with bossy caring.

"Here," she said, putting the blood bag in his hands. Caroline tried to be more understanding than annoyed, and she gently ran her hand through his hair. "If this is what you need to do, you'll need to keep your strength up."

He leaned into her touch, letting his lips graze her wrist. "I'm sorry," he said, only for Caroline to shake her head in denial.

"We'll figure it out," she insisted with a fortifying smile. "But maybe brute strength isn't the answer."

Stefan sipped at the blood, wincing as he rolled his shoulder back into place. "Bonnie said Armory protocol probably sealed the vault."

"But there's no one left to override it," Caroline realized. She gently massaged his sore muscles as she processed. "Well, that sucks."

Huffing out a weak laugh, Stefan kissed her forehead. "Yes, it does," he replied, too dry to count as humor.

"Do you want to come help Bonnie with the research?" Even though his efforts were futile, Caroline held no illusions that Stefan wouldn't keep trying to force his way through the door. She tried not to be disappointed at his embarrassed expression.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer," he answered sheepishly.

Caroline shrugged like she wasn't concerned. "Okay," she said. "I've got more blood and some real food when you need it." Pushing herself up, she kissed his cheek before leaving him to the creepy vault.

* * *

With Stefan and Bonnie both ensconced in their own research efforts, Caroline didn't want to leave them. They were too susceptible to bad habits like not sleeping or not eating. Stuck in the Armory, though, she needed a task of her own to deal with the palpable tension.

Since finding its members dead en masse, the Armory had clearly been deserted. The air tasted stale to her, the dried blood still splattered all over the main room making her cringe. It was just unsanitary, even for vampires. They had already removed the bodies, but Caroline decided she could at least clean the place up.

Scrubbing the floors cleared her mind, allowing her to forget the utter mess of her life otherwise. The girls were safe with their dad, at least, a small comfort she would happily accept.

The days continued just like that. Bonnie and Stefan alternately suggested, then carried out, crazy ideas on how to get inside the vault. Caroline kept them fed and mostly rested. While they pored through every inch of the Armory and its library, Caroline made sure it gleamed. When she ran out of opportunities for stress cleaning, she turned to organizing.

Eventually, the main room was immaculate except for the books Bonnie seemed to be using to build a table fort. Caroline got a dirty look each time she tried to put some back on the shelves. So, she turned her attention to the inner rooms for more tidying up.

It was on one such cleaning mission that Caroline found herself in what looked like an executive office. She remembered Stefan trying to search the computer for any information, but apparently hacking wasn't a skill he had picked up in his long life. Caroline made a mental note to take up IT as a hobby in her eternity while dusting the keyboard.

Once the desktop was acceptable enough, she ventured into the drawers. Most were full of various supplies or innocuous files Stefan had deemed unimportant. One drawer seemed to be full of manuals, like the one for the phones system that was sitting on top. Her nose scrunched in though as she stared at the open drawer until she tore it from the desk altogether.

"Hey," she called out, walking back to the main room. Stefan and Bonnie both looked up from the books they were reading. "Secret society aside, this is an office building like any other, right?"

At their blank expressions, she dropped the broken drawer onto the table. "In every office I've seen, they file away all user manuals, just in case. With all this expensive tech, I'm betting the Armory is even more adamant about making sure they don't end up with a million-dollar paperweight."

Stefan seemed hesitant in considering her theory, but Bonnie jumped up to start pulling the manuals.

"Phones, intercom, security cameras," Bonnie listed until a breathtaking smile spread across her face. "Locking panels."

Moving faster than Caroline expected, Bonnie ran out of the room, clutching the manual in her fist.

Caroline laughed, turning to find Stefan watching her. "What?"

He stood slowly, walking over to kiss her cheek. "Thank you," he said simply.

Smiling, Caroline tried not to cry. He had been so stressed, and she tried not to weigh him down by whining; however, it had been a while since they had even that much time just to appreciate each other.

"You're welcome," she croaked, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Stefan grabbed a toolbox from the custodial closet Caroline had made great use of over the week. He held out his other hand for her to take. "Let's go help Bonnie."

* * *

Bickering over the complicated instructions, Bonnie and Stefan debated the best way to go about disabling the vault's locking mechanism. They were all but buzzing with optimistic energy, but their impatience made them easily agitated as they tried to make sense of the manual they found.

The situation was oddly reminiscent of assembling IKEA furniture, but Caroline forced herself to refrain from sharing the comparison with the others.

"We can't just tear wires on a guess," Bonnie argued. "The system is programmed to lock down indefinitely in cases of tampering."

"It's already locked down, so what can it hurt to take it apart and rebuild it?" Stefan asked, flipping through the small booklet.

"Have you tried turning it off and turning it on again?" Caroline muttered under her breath, the fake British accent feeling like marbles rolling off her tongue. It was just a habit, a bit from one of Ric's favorite shows that he always managed to slip into their Netflix queue. She still winced at Stefan and Bonnie's stricken looks as they turned to her. She shrunk back into the wall she was sitting against. "Sorry, stupid joke."

Bonnie shook her head. "No, it's a good idea," she said, excitedly tearing the manual from Stefan's hands. "We've been working for a structural fix, not a manual reset."

Cocking his head in thought, Stefan faced Bonnie. "What does it say about a power source?"

"Um," Bonnie hummed, checking the table of contents before finding the section she needed. "It looks like it's hooked up to the main grid."

With a roguish smile, Stefan winked at a confused Caroline and flashed away.

They had found the independent generators on their initial search of the Armory, the accompanying gas tanks larger than anything Stefan had ever seen. In seconds, he switched off the generators and rushed back to the vault in complete darkness.

Sure enough, the locks disengaged just as he returned. Bonnie jumped a bit without the benefit of vampire eyesight, but she felt her way to the heavy door and pulled it open.

"Hold on," Caroline said, grabbing her friend's wrist. "Let one of us go first. You're not so durable anymore."

Bonnie opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Stefan flashed past her into he vault. At a moot point, Bonnie just rushed to follow him.

"Enzo," she cried out as Stefan called for his brother.

When there was no immediate response, Caroline squeezed her eyes shut. Stefan and Bonnie would be crushed if this turned into a dead end - metaphorical or not. Pulling out her phone, she turned on the flashlight feature to aid in their search.

Entering the dark vault, though, a crying Bonnie told her enough. Wrapping her friend in a hug, Caroline tried to soothe the wracking sobs. She could hear Stefan whooshing throughout the creepy cavern. With tear-filled anguish, he announced what they already knew.

"They're not here."


	3. How Do I Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: The Armory was a bust, and now Bonnie and Stefan have no clues to go on while Caroline tries to keep them functioning. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!
> 
> This story is meant to work out my issues for the individual characters, which should be a warning that not everything is sunshine and rainbows. I promise, the issues I bring up will be resolved (or at least attempted), so please don't hate me for this chapter.

She could hear Stefan and Caroline chatting in the other room. Hushed conversations were the norm around the boarding house in the week since leaving the Armory in defeat. No one wanted to upset the grieving girl.

When was she not grieving, Bonnie wondered. Her mother abandoned her twice, Grams died, her dad murdered in front of her — while she was dead herself. Even after coming back to life and a miserable existence as the Anchor, she was thrown into a 1994 prison world with the most annoying person in the world; and then she saved him, only to be left alone with a murderous psychopath. She fought her way out, on her own. It still didn't stop her from losing Elena to same sicko she thought she left behind.

It was bad enough Damon chose to desiccate himself for three years, but for him and Enzo to disappear without a trace? Bonnie wanted to curl into a ball, it was too much.

* * *

Caroline, god love her, understood the overwhelming emotional toll — to a point. She went above and beyond to support Bonnie in the basics of human function, but no amount of hot tea would soothe the clawing hurt inside her the longer they went without news. Bonnie needed less optimism and more hard clues.

Staring at a map, Bonnie tried to find patterns in the various cities she and Stefan had marked as points of interest. Between the two of them, she figured they had a near complete idea of Damon's preferences and where he might end up, should he escape whatever took him away.

Enzo was trickier, since the cabin and the Armory were the only places with a somewhat positive history for him. Bonnie hated that she didn't know more. She probably knew him better than anyone in the world, but there were still too many blanks in her knowledge.

Stefan had argued they would get farther if they knew what took Damon and Enzo in the first place. If the Armory had no idea what it had locked up, though, how could they possibly find out?

"Let's go for a walk."

Caroline's chirpy suggestion broke through Bonnie's hopeless musing, irritating her to no end. "No thanks," she answered tersely. "I'm still working on the map."

Scoffing, Caroline crossed her arms in defiance. "You've been stuck on the map for days, and it's nice out," she said. "I just sent Stefan for blood bags, but we need to take care of you, too. Vitamin D is important, as is physical exercise."

"You know what's important?" Bonnie exploded, every inch of her short stature standing against Caroline's bossy attitude. "Finding my boyfriend and my best friend is important. Screw sunshine and daisies, or whatever your life is like now that you've got everything you want. If you really want to help, go get your Prince Charming, since he's the only other one who actually cares."

Caroline seemed frozen at her outburst, but Bonnie was shaking.

It wasn't fair, Bonnie knew. Caroline had been through hell, too, even if she found her happily ever after. It was hard won by the grace of Caroline's compassion and desire to go after what she wanted. For Bonnie to attack her dear friend in favor of Enzo, who had drugged and kidnapped her, and Damon, who—

Well, just Damon.

"Look," Bonnie said, pushing her hair out of her face. "I know you're ready for life to go back to normal, and I'm happy you can have that. But I need you to realize that my life cannot be normal until I get Enzo and Damon back."

Caroline face scrunched, frustration radiating from her. "I do realize that, Bon," she insisted. "But what happens when we find them? Just because you want to press pause on your life, that doesn't mean time actually stops. You're _human_. Mortal. It might take us years to find them, and you'll look every minute of your thirty years on Earth."

Opening her mouth to respond, Bonnie was quickly waved off by the emphatic blonde. "I don't want you to wake up one day, realizing you wasted valuable time waiting for something that can't end well."

Tense with anger, Bonnie ran her tongue over her teeth in hopes of restraining herself. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

* * *

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Letting the door fall shut behind him, Stefan shuffled the coolers in his hands as voices rose from the kitchen. He had flashed to the hospital for blood bags, but it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes. Whatever had happened in his absence, though, sounded to be escalating.

"No, tell me, Caroline," Bonnie demanded. "What about this search for my boyfriend and your boyfriend's brother can't end well?"

Stefan dragged a hand over his face; he had been expecting this fight for a while. Caroline tried to keep her concerns to herself, but he knew she worried about the very human Bonnie counting on the wildcard Enzo had proven to be over the years. He also knew better than to believe her heart was in the search for Damon outside of what the elder Salvatore meant to him and Bonnie.

"You're killing yourself with eighteen-hour days," Caroline explained, her voice painfully beseeching to Stefan's ears. "Even if we find them soon, we have no idea what we're up against."

"If I find them, you mean," Bonnie corrected. "Because Stefan and I seem to be doing all the work while you encourage us to take breaks and enjoy the sunshine."

Sighing, Stefan couldn't stay out of it anymore. "Hey," he greeted nonchalantly as he walked into the kitchen. "I got some more blood bags like you asked," he told Caroline. "What's going on?"

"Take a walk with your girlfriend," Bonnie suggested, the sarcastic veneer of her cheerful voice enough to make Caroline cringe. "She's all about fresh air and sunshine these days. I'll just stay here and focus on more important things." With that, Bonnie spun around and went back to staring at the map Stefan had helped annotate.

At Caroline's look of utter dejection, though, he held out his hand. "Come on," he said lightly, pulling her out of the kitchen to lead her outside. Once the gravel was crunching under their feet, he squeezed her hand. "You okay?"

"She doesn't talk to me anymore," Caroline replied sadly, looking straight ahead. "I just want her to be careful with how much of herself she's investing. She's not sleeping, she's barely eating, and for what? More dead ends?"

Stefan winced; he knew she didn't mean to be so callous, but she was talking about his brother. "Caroline—"

"Seriously," she exclaimed, not noticing his reaction and barreling on with her rant. "I don't think it's sunk in that she's twenty-three years old without magic to fall back on as a career. She should be going back to college and finishing her degree, finding someone amazing to build a future with — not spending her dwindling time searching for danger. We just got done with that."

He stopped in his tracks, pulling the blonde to a halt with the hold he still had on her hand. "So," he said slowly, "this is less about Bonnie wasting her good years, and more that we're all wasting our time trying to save my brother?"

Caroline's mouth fell open in surprise as Stefan dropped her hand to put some space between them.

"I thought, I don't know," he huffed, pacing a bit. "I thought you were being so supportive because you understood what Bonnie and I are going through."

Bristling, Caroline crossed her arms defensively. "I understand that you're scared, because someone you love just disappeared when he promised to come back," she snapped, familiar with the feeling. "At least you have a reasonable assumption that he didn't leave you by choice."

"But it's fine," Stefan retorted, "since Bonnie can just find a new boyfriend to plan a future with." The diamond ring Caroline still wore glinted too bright in his eyes.

Throwing her hands in the air, Caroline let out a disbelieving laugh. "Oh, is that what this is?" she asked scathingly. "I dared to accept the reality of my situation and make the best of it. I'm sorry if keeping you and Bonnie from going off the rails is inconvenient to your obsessive tendencies, but smothering is how I show love when there's literally nothing else I can do."

With a deep breath, Stefan took in just how much buildup had gone into her venting argument. He wanted to reach out to her, help relax the tension keeping her back rigid. Before he could wrap her in a hug, however, both their heads whipped to the boarding house as Bonnie loudly opened the front door.

"I think I've got something," she yelled, though their enhanced hearing caught even her excited heartbeat when she ran back to the kitchen.

Stefan had stepped toward the house unconsciously, only stopping when he remembered the worked-up blonde next to him. "Caroline," he sighed.

She looked at him, biting her lip in consideration. "Go," she finally said. Shrugging, Caroline's smile seemed forced to him. "Bonnie needs someone in her corner, and she doesn't want it to be me. I need to check on my mom's house anyway. I've let it sit in dust for too long since I've been back."

"Hey," he tried, but Caroline flashed away before he could say anything else. It was only when he realized he didn't know what he would have said that he turned back to the boarding house and the impatient woman inside.

* * *

By the time she made it to her front porch, Caroline's chest was heaving in hyperventilation. Her discussion with Stefan just made her feel cold, distant in a way she had feared since he unexpectedly dropped back into her life. She knew Damon could ruin them again; he didn't even have to be there to do it.

Running her hands through her hair, she forced herself to calm down. Tensions were high with hopelessness, and Caroline refused to give into the temptation of giving up altogether. As advertised, she would make do with what she had. Checking her watch, she figured she had a few hours to get the house in order before Alaric and the girls returned from Dallas.

Relieved to have a mission, Caroline pulled her hair into a ponytail, ready to get to work.

The better part of her afternoon consisted of dusting and painstakingly vacuuming every corner of the house. She was able to work out some frustration on the sheets she and Stefan had used to protect the furniture years earlier; vigorously shaking them out wasn't quite the violence her bloodthirsty self enjoyed, but it did the trick.

Stefan had texted during the deep cleanse she performed on the bathroom, just checking in to let her know that he and Bonnie had discussed research options over sandwiches. While she appreciated that he was taking her "eat something" lectures to heart, it wasn't enough to ease her in the wake of their earlier fight.

Instead, she focused on the house she grew up in and how it would have to accommodate her changed family dynamic. With a heavy heart, Caroline realized it made the most sense to give the girls her old room while she took the master suite: her mother's bedroom.

She had left it for last, unsure if she was ready for the memories. After a few minutes lingering outside, Caroline finally managed to open the door. The faint trace of her mother's coconut shampoo welcomed her like a baseball bat to the gut. With a shuddering breath, she stepped inside.

Thankfully, some fresh linens and a thorough airing were all the room needed, and Caroline found herself with nothing else to do within the hour. Grocery shopping seemed necessary, given the house had nothing in the way of actual nutrition for Josie and Lizzie. After a quick trip to the store, Caroline was finishing up her special macaroni and cheese when the front door opened. "Hey," she called out.

"Mommy!"

Smiling at the enthusiastic footsteps pattering her way, Caroline looked up to see her daughters tackle her with hugs. "I missed you guys," she said, squeezing them back. "Did you have fun with Daddy?"

Josie immediately launched into an story about their trip to Dallas and waving goodbye to the house while Lizzie tried to peek at the stove. "Is that my green mac-and-cheese?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yep," Caroline nodded, hiding a smile at how easy it was to hide spinach in Lizzie's favorite food. "And Josie's fish sticks are in the oven."

"Smells good," Alaric said. Caroline hadn't noticed him leaning in the doorway. "Girls, why don't you go wash up for dinner?"

Laughing, the girls raced toward the bathroom.

Caroline smiled at the warmth she finally felt at having them home. "Did they seem okay about leaving Dallas?"

Ric nodded. "They liked staying here before we left, too," he said, taking a seat at the counter. "That may have more to do with the fact we had a slumber party in the living room, but I think they'll be fine."

"I cleaned the house from top to bottom," Caroline explained as she set the table for them to eat. "It should be a bit more comfortable now. The girls will take my room, share the bed until I can redecorate it for them both."

"Good idea," Ric agreed. He cleared his throat with an awkward cough. "Um, I'm got an interview at Whitmore tomorrow, about taking my old position. I made a hotel reservation so I'll be right there."

Caroline blinked; it hadn't occurred to her that Ric would need another place to live. She had been so caught up with Stefan that she completely forgot about ending her engagement. "I already made up the couch for you," she offered weakly.

"Which I appreciate," he answered with a smile, "but you and the girls deserve a night to settle in without worrying about me. We need to work out this co-parent thing sooner or later."

"Tomorrow," Caroline said decisively. "After your interview, you should come back here. We'll start house hunting for you and set up a game plan."

Grabbing the plates from her, Ric helped to dish out the food. "How's everything else here?" he asked. She had kept him in the loop on the lack of progress in tracking Damon and Enzo, but there hadn't been much news lately.

"Not so good," she admitted softly, thinking back to her spats with Bonnie and Stefan.

When the girls ran back into the kitchen, though, she let a smile take over. "I'm so glad you're here," she said, pulling them in for another hug.

Whatever else happened, at least she had this.


	4. I Will Always Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Everyone has their own way to cope, which causes tension between Caroline and the others. She goes home to get the Forbes house ready for the girls, while Stefan and Bonnie stay at the boarding house. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!

Rolling over, Stefan stretched across his bed with an uncomfortable grunt. His blankets were twisted around his legs, evidence of the restless sleep he eventually managed in the early hours of the morning. He glanced to the other pillow, which had remained undisturbed through the night.

Caroline hadn't come back to the boarding house at all.

Though Bonnie had kept him up late discussing map theories, a part of Stefan kew his night owl behavior had more to do with waiting for Caroline to come home. When she sent a goodnight text, he worried she had no plans to return anytime soon.

With Bonnie's research to distract him, Stefan had been able to keep his anxiety at bay; the stark light of morning in his otherwise deserted bedroom had fear rushing through his veins. Focusing on deep breaths, he tried to reason through the impending panic. Caroline wasn't gone, she just spent the night at her mother's house. A twinge of guilt pinched at the memories she must have faced during her night alone.

He should have been there with her.

Thinking back on their argument, he realized he wasn't really listening to her concerns. While Damon was his priority in this search mission, Bonnie was Caroline's. He had seen the futility of Bonnie's superhuman ambition in finding Damon and Enzo just the night before. Stefan called it quits at two in the morning, figuring they would pick it up again after some sleep. When Bonnie ignored his half-hearted wave to read another grimoire, he should have insisted she go to bed. Worse, it wasn't until his veins tightened in a need for blood that he noticed Bonnie hadn't eaten since their sandwiches hours earlier.

Stefan sighed as he pulled himself out of bed, intent on finding one of the blood bags Caroline had reminded him to get. Even if she didn't give her all for Damon and Enzo, never let it be said she didn't try to take care of Bonnie and Stefan. He had a lot to make up for.

Dressing quickly, he headed down to the kitchen, sadly unsurprised to find Bonnie slumped over the map. She was sleeping at a right angle, proving further to Stefan that she was overdoing it.

He considered waking her, but the inevitable fight was best to be avoided; instead, he carefully picked her up so he could flash her to Damon's room. It was certainly the most comfortable, and Stefan hoped she would be tempted by the luxurious bathroom to take a long, hot shower. Settling her in was easier than he expected since she was sleeping like a rock. Ashamed, he wondered just when it was she last slept.

Caroline was right, and he owed her an apology. More importantly, he missed her, hating that he woke up alone. Determined to rectify the situation, Stefan flashed back down to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of blood bags. Figuring she wouldn't have any at her mom's house, he hoped to gain enough favor to take her out for a proper breakfast.

It wasn't until he was standing on the Forbes porch, staring through the window at Alaric cooking in the kitchen, that he realized he probably should have called first.

Before he could slink away to regroup, though, Alaric looked up to see him lurking outside. With an awkward wave, Stefan let himself in the front door. "Good morning," he said, noting that Alaric seemed to be alone in the kitchen. He held up the blood bags. "I thought Caroline could use these."

"She's still asleep," Alaric said, nodding, "but I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Frowning, Stefan spoke without thinking. "It's a little late for her to still be in bed."

Alaric gritted through a weak smile. "The girls probably kept her up late, they slept through most of the drive home," he explained, his knuckles turning white where he gripped the pan. "I thought bacon was the nicest way to wake them up."

"Agreed," Caroline yawned as she joined the tense gathering in the kitchen. She offered a smile to Stefan before turning to Alaric. "I didn't realize it was so late. Did you already have the interview?"

This was news to Stefan, who already felt like an outsider in the domestic scene: Alaric cooking breakfast for a pajama-clad Caroline. Again, her diamond ring assaulted his vision, and he had to force himself to focus on the conversation. "Uh, interview?"

As though swallowing something distasteful, Alaric's smile turned acidic. "Whitmore offered me my old position, signed the paperwork and everything this morning."

"That's great," Caroline exclaimed, clapping happily.

"What's great?" a small voice asked from the doorway.

All three adults turned to find one of the twins rubbing sleep from her eyes in her footie pajamas. Stefan recognized her as Josie; Caroline had too many pictures and stories for him to not tell her daughters apart. Still, he felt like the odd man out in their family dynamic, a perfect stranger to his girlfriend's kids - a point clearly made by Josie's next question.

"Who are you?"

Her innocent voice hit him hard, so much so that he couldn't summon his voice for an answer. Stefan looked to Caroline, who seemed just as lost.

It was Alaric who finally spoke, a smug smile on his face. "That's Stefan," he said. "He's a friend of Mommy's."

Realizing he was still holding blood bags, Stefan hurried to hide them from Josie's line of sight. "I just came to say hello, but I'll let you get to breakfast." With another awkward wave, he turned to flee the kitchen, sensing Caroline on his heels.

"Will you go get your sister?" she called over her shoulder as she followed Stefan to the front porch.

"Hey," she said, reaching for his hand before he could leave altogether. Her smile was unsure, but still happy. "I wasn't expecting you this morning."

"Clearly," he muttered, feeling like an idiot. "I didn't know the whole family was back together."

Brow furrowed, the smile slid from Caroline's face. "I told you they were getting back from Dallas this week, it just happened to be yesterday. I'm sorry you felt ambushed, but you knew they were a big part of my life."

Feeling petulant, Stefan tried to get back to the crux of the issue. "And Ric?"

"He's their father," she answered, resolute. "That hasn't changed. It won't change."

"I'm not asking it to," Stefan said helplessly, wondering how his morning plans had gone so sour. "I just— Where do I fit in? He's the father of your kids, the man you've shared a home with for three years. Hell, you're still wearing his ring!"

She looked down guiltily, flexing her hand. "We haven't explained it to the girls yet," she said quietly. "Why haven't you brought this up before?"

"It hasn't occurred to me that I'm breaking up a family," he realized. "But I see you and Ric together, and I can't help but wonder what the hell you're doing with me."

Glancing to check no one was watching from inside, she moved closer to wrap him in a hug. "I deserve to be happy, too," she whispered. With a choked laugh, her lips pressed to his neck. "You broke it, you bought it, right?"

He sighed, nuzzling into her unruly hair. "Caroline—"

"Seriously," she said, leaning back to take his face in her hands. "You were able to walk away from Valerie, weren't you?"

Stefan froze; that had been the farthest thing from his mind. "It was different," he argued. "I couldn't risk putting you in danger, and she was there when I felt completely alone in the world. I hate that I didn't have you, that it was my fault I left you. And I hate that I used her in an attempt to feel anything, but it's over. It was over the minute I could find you again. Caroline," he broke off, forcing himself to take a breath. "You were going to marry him."

The image of her planner with the wedding day clearly marked was horrifically burned in his mind.

"The wedding has been canceled," she reassured him, stroking her thumbs across his cheeks. "But we are still a family. If that's such a problem for you, then why did you come back?" She bit her lip, as though scared to hear his answer.

Letting his lips graze against her hand, Stefan took comfort in her warmth. The anger and frustration bled from him with the contact. "Because I love you."

Her answering smile stole the breath from his chest. "Then love me," she said, looking more comfortable with his feelings than she had since their reunion. "Have dinner with me and the girls tonight, maybe stay over if you'd like?"

He rested his forehead against hers. "I'd like that very much."


	5. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Caroline invited Stefan to have dinner with her and the girls, officially introducing her boyfriend to the mix. I do quote Disney's Lilo & Stitch, but I own absolutely nothing about that (excellent) movie, or TVD for that matter. I'm just borrowing their characters. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!

The chicken strips sizzled as they hit the pan, Caroline's attempt at comfort food reminding her of the weight surrounding dinner. She was nervous. Cooking was supposed to distract her, but all it did was give her time to worry.

What if Stefan and the girls didn't get along?

What if he decided she wasn't worth the drama?

What if the girls resented her for screwing up their perfect, little family?

It was a small whisper at the back of her mind, but it scared Caroline to her core. As a child of divorce, she knew exactly how easy it was to hate a parent. She remembered not speaking to her father for weeks after he moved out. Every snide barb she threw at her mother made her cringe in hindsight, but Caroline couldn't change any of it. All she could do was accept her past, learn her lessons, and power forward.

If only she weren't so terrified.

Of course, the girls had taken the news that Mommy and Daddy would be living in different houses extremely well just that morning. Calling off the wedding brought tears until Alaric had convinced them they could keep their flower girl dresses. With many assurances they did nothing wrong and promises they would never be cut off from either parent, the girls seemed to understand that everything would be okay despite the massive disruption to their otherwise average life.

But they didn't know about Stefan.

Josie had met him, but she only knew him as a friend of Mommy's. "Mommy has a new boyfriend" might not go over as well, so Caroline was nervous.

The girls were none the wiser as they played all afternoon while Caroline and Alaric discussed all the boring, grown-up stuff. Handing over the ring she had worn for nearly a year was a bittersweet acknowledgement that she was ending a relationship, but it helped to know that he could put it toward a down payment on the new house. Alaric included her in narrowing down his search for a new home, especially knowing the girls would be starting school in a few years. Even with the possible future she all but threw back in his face, he agreed to stay in Mystic Falls for the same idyllic childhood Caroline once had — or thought she had.

And that had been mucked up even before the vampires arrived.

Caroline saw it as a huge sign of trust for Alaric not to fight her on raising the girls in their personal, supernatural hell. Still, he trusted her implicitly, a minor miracle after she literally ran into another man's arms.

Caroline bit her lip as she stirred the green beans, the awkward part of her conversation coming to mind. Surprisingly cool with Stefan meeting the girls, Alaric was less helpful when discussing how to broach the subject.

"Just be honest with them," he had suggested. "Answer their questions, but err on the side of vagueness."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline took a deep breath to keep from yelling and alerting the girls playing in the next room. "Thanks," she muttered unhappily. "And when they ask you questions—"

"I'll tell them to ask you," he assured her with a slight smirk. "We're still a team, Care, even if it means letting Stefan into the huddle every once in a while."

They both scrunched their noses in mild disgust before laughing. "I appreciate that," Caroline finally said once the giggles subsided, "but it's still just you and me when it comes to Josie and Lizzie."

Alaric pinned her with an unimpressed look. "Care—"

"No, I mean that I can take Stefan's advice and opinions into consideration, but that's my vote. You get the other."

"Does he know that?"

Caroline opened her mouth to answer, but she snapped it shut for a moment of contemplation. "He will," she decided. Feeling vulnerable, she looked down to the kitchen table. "For all I know, Stefan could get spooked—tonight, tomorrow, a week from now. This whole situation is still new for him, and I wish I was more confident in the belief he will still be there when…" She trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut. "That he'll just be there. I don't know if or when he'll get a bigger role in our family, I only know it's not now. Meeting them is enough."

"He could surprise you."

Alaric's voice was quiet, resignation clear in his tone. Still, his eyes only held concern.

His tacit support had Caroline smiling weakly. "I hope he does."

Only the burning hiss of the chicken still frying below her snapped Caroline out of her fearful memories.

"Mommy," Lizzie shouted from the doorway, sounding appalled. "I smell fire."

Caroline huffed out a chuckle as she quickly pulled the chicken strips from the pan. Though she would be the first to admit she wasn't the best chef in the kitchen, she could always rely on Lizzie to be the second. "It's okay, sweetie, you won't have to eat these pieces."

Lizzie didn't look convinced, but Josie ran in before she could say so. "Is Uncle Stefan here yet?" Josie asked excitedly.

Only Caroline's vampire reflexes kept her grip from slipping on the massive bowl of mashed potatoes she held. "W-what?"

Before she could manage a more eloquent response, the doorbell rang. The girls dashed out of the kitchen to answer the door, and Caroline took a deep breath in preparation. This was going to be an interesting dinner.

* * *

Two sets of tiny footsteps were running toward him, and Stefan braced himself while still on the porch. He had never felt so nervous, even when asking Klaus Mikaelson for help after leaving Caroline alone in Mystic Falls.

Forget thousand-year-old hybrids; Stefan was scared of toddlers.

He still couldn't help but smile as they tore the door open, cheering. "Hello," he greeted before stepping inside. He handed each of them a small bouquet of flowers. "These are for being such kind hostesses."

Feeling eyes on him, Stefan turned to find Caroline watching from the kitchen. Swallowing a silly grin, he walked over with the single daisy still in his hand. "And this," he said charmingly as he handed it over, "is for you."

"Thank you," she answered quietly, a soft smile pulling at her lips.

As much as Stefan wanted to kiss her, the two little girls were staring at them curiously. He settled for squeezing her hand. "Thank you for the invitation."

Coughing lightly, Caroline pulled her hand from Stefan's. "Girls," she said, nudging him aside. "This is Stefan Salvatore. I met him all the way back in high school."

"We never meet Mommy's friends," Josie explained while Lizzie bounced on her toes. "She has lots of pictures in our room."

He crouched to meet their eyes. "Am I in any of those pictures?" he whispered conspiratorially.

The girls instantly took each of his hands. "Mommy," Lizzie said, "can we show Uncle Stefan our room?"

Stefan's head swiveled to Caroline, eyes wide in shock. The instant recoil he felt wasn't mollified by the laugh she couldn't stifle.

"Go ahead," she finally choked out, waving her hand to dismiss them. "I'll just finish up with dinner and call you down in a bit."

They were dragging him away before he could say anything else, but the dirty look he sent Caroline just had her laughing again.

"Mommy says we get to get new beds and pick colors for the walls," Josie explained, chattering away in a bubbly excitement. It reminded Stefan a lot of her mother.

Lizzie was quieter, more hesitant to speak above a hoarse whisper, but she seemed no less excited. "And we get a room at Daddy's house, too," she added. "I want purple, but Josie wants pink."

They pulled him into Caroline's old bedroom, various pictures from the good old days taped to the walls. Tyler, Matt and Bonnie hugging at the Falls. Caroline and Elena posing together in their cheerleading uniforms with Bonnie making faces behind them. A gap-toothed Caroline with Bill and Liz at their cabin.

"That's our grandma and grandpa," Lizzie said solemnly as she gripped his hand. "They're in heaven now."

Squeezing her hand, he smiled. "They would have loved you," he promised.

"Look, Uncle Stefan!" Josie eagerly pointed to a picture of him and Elena from the 1920s decade dance. He remembered posing at Caroline's insistence, a determination to enjoy what they could despite Esther and Alaric trying to kill them all — probably a part of the story he shouldn't share with the man's three-year-old daughters.

Plus, Stefan had more pressing concerns at that moment.

Turning the girls to face him, he crouched low again to meet their eye level. "Um, why 'Uncle' Stefan?"

"All our friends back home had aunts and uncles," Josie answered with a shrug. "Mommy says we have an Aunt Bonnie."

Stefan smiled, not surprised at all for Bonnie to be an honorary aunt. At the same time, a brother was the last thing he was to Caroline. "I don't think we need the formality," he said with an exaggerated frown. "I think you can call me Stefan."

"But aren't you our family?"

Lizzie's question went straight to his heart; she seemed heartbroken. "Do you want me to be?"

Automatically, both girls sucked their bottom lips between their teeth. After only a moment's consideration, though, they nodded decisively.

Pretending to consider it as well, Stefan stroked his chin. "Why do you want me to be family?"

"You look like a prince!"

"Mommy smiles when you're here."

Their shy answers made him smile. "And what does family mean?"

" _Ohana_ ," Josie announced as Lizzie lunged for one of her stuffed animals. She pulled out an odd green monster that looked homemade, but she held it like he was supposed to know its significance. Instead, he focused on Josie's continued thought. "' _Ohana_ means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.'"

The reference was lost on him, but Stefan could see the girls were proud of it. The contentment flooded his chest as he nodded. "Then I'd be honored to be your family," he answered. "But still, just call me Stefan."

Unfamiliar with the girls, he hadn't expected them to attack him with hugs. Their little arms wrapped around his neck just as Caroline called them for dinner. Without breaking from their hug, Stefan stood suddenly, lifting them into the air. They laughed the whole time he carried them down the stairs.

The effort to keep them from wiggling out of his hold was well worth the megawatt smile on Caroline's face as they appeared in the kitchen. Her eyes were whining with happiness, and he just knew.

They were going to be okay.

* * *

Dinner was a fun affair. The girls talked endlessly about their trip to Dallas or how to decorate their rooms. Stefan asked questions, learning about their favorite activities or books. Their enthusiastic responses were so reminiscent of their mother's personality, the one he had missed for so long.

As though she could hear the anguish in his thoughts, Caroline slid her free hand to his knee under the table. The slight pressure had helped to ground him in the moment, allowing him to relax.

He wasn't missing her anymore, and he got to be a part of her loving, little family.

The " _ohana_ " lesson from the girls made sense when they begged to watch _Lilo & Stitch_ after dinner, enlisting Stefan to help build a viewing fort in the living room. As Caroline finally put the girls to bed, he took it upon himself to tidy the pillows and blankets they had piled up for the movie.

Once the room was back to Caroline's exacting standards, Stefan poured them each a glass of red wine laced with blood. He settled himself on the couch as he waited for her to come back downstairs.

"Sorry," she said, flustered. "They were a little too excitable to go to sleep right away."

Stefan smiled easily. "It was a big night," he said, pulling her down to sit with him. Something inside him slid into place when Caroline cuddled into his side. He handed her the wineglass before toasting. Her smile grew shy when he held their eye contact as they sipped the nightcap. "How'd I do?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, but instantly relaxed at his light demeanor. "Very well," she answered, until a wicked smirk appeared. "Uncle Stefan."

Groaning, Stefan flashed the wineglasses to safety on the coffee table before pinning Caroline to the couch and tickling her mercilessly. "What was that?"

She was unable to let the joke pass. "Uncle, uncle," she cried hoarsely, trying to stay quiet.

They were both laughing as Stefan let his forehead rest on hers, just the closeness healing the tension from their fight at the boarding house. Sitting up, Stefan pulled her back to resting against him and kissed her temple. "They said they had an Aunt Bonnie, so I must be Uncle Stefan," he explained.

"I know." Caroline shrugged, probably overhearing their conversation while she cooked. "I never asked, what's Bonnie doing tonight?"

Shifting, Stefan coughed uncomfortably. "I owe you an apology," he said, ignoring Caroline's look of surprise. "You were right that she's overdoing it. I had to move her to a bed before I stopped by this morning, and she slept most of the day."

Caroline poked his side, sensing more to the story.

"And she might have snapped at me for letting her sleep the day away as I left for dinner," Stefan admitted.

"I knew it," Caroline sighed. "This can't be good for her. What can we do?"

Hugging her to him, Stefan placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Support her, try to make sure she eats and sleeps at regular intervals," he offered, repeating Caroline's own suggestions from their Armory research. "You know, smother her with love."

"Yeah?" Caroline chewed on her lip as her arms slid around his neck. She nuzzled his ear lightly. "Know anyone else I can smother with love?"

Stefan froze, unsure if she was saying what he thought she was. "Caroline," he sighed, only to be silenced by a soft kiss.

She brushed his nose with hers, grinning. "I love you, Stefan," she affirmed. "Let me love you."

"I love you, too," he promised, helping her to straddle his lap as his other hand buried itself in her hair. Their kisses were slow and unhurried, nearly a decade of history culminating to this point.

There were still conversations to have, details to work out, and problems to solve. With Caroline in his arms, though, the world around him was able to quiet so he could finally focus on something important—building his happiness with the woman he loved.

Lifting her as he stood, he carried her slowly toward her bedroom. He lazily pressed her against walls along the way, in no rush whatsoever.

With everything going on, this night would be theirs.


	6. Rolling in the Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Caroline and Stefan enjoyed a dinner date with the twins, as well as some personal time while Bonnie stayed home with her research. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016! I also want to thank everyone who like and reblog these updates, as well as my kind reviewers. It truly means a lot to me that you are reading and enjoying this fic.

Quietly letting himself into the boarding house, Stefan couldn't stop grinning. His night with Caroline had been perfect. Even though she kicked him out before the girls could catch him, waking up to her loving kisses more than made up for it.

Caroline Forbes loved him.

"Someone's in a good mood."

The absent observation startled him, only just noticing Bonnie curled on the couch with a book. "Morning," he greeted, wary. "I thought you might be sleeping."

"I'll sleep when I'm tired," Bonnie answered coolly. She held another book out, shoving it into his stomach when he was near enough. "I think I found a new source of info on the Armory."

Stefan glanced to the book he was forced to take, brow furrowing at the worn volume. "Bill Forbes' journals?"

Without looking up, Bonnie nodded. "Caroline thought she was just humoring the crazy witch, but she brought them out of storage for me last week," she explained. "The guy had to learn to fight compulsion somewhere, right?"

"It would explain how Tyler got involved with them," Stefan admitted. A feeling of dread crept over him. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

Bonnie shrugged. "You haven't been the brightest bulb in a while," she snarked.

Wincing, Stefan felt crushed with guilt. He had let himself worry—

"Stop it," Bonnie snapped.

He was surprised to see her staring him down from her diminutive position. While Bonnie's aggression was nothing new, Stefan would have been more likely to compare her bitter stare to a lioness protecting her cub—but she was looking at him like he was the threat. "What?"

"We've known each other long enough that I can recognize a shame spiral when I see one," she hissed. "I'm not sure what's more annoying: that they always seem to be in connection to Elena or Damon's actions, or that they accomplish absolutely nothing."

Blinking, Stefan was too busy processing to respond as Bonnie stood up to face him.

"After 150 years of toxic brotherhood, I get why you and Damon are constantly playing the 'who gets to sacrifice for whom' game and trading off who gets to hate the other for it," she said. "But maybe we're all grown up enough to get the hell over it. This guilt trip you're constantly taking isn't helping anyone, so cut it out."

Stefan wanted to be angry, lashing out in offended pride. Under Bonnie's withering glare, though, he felt he would crumble with shame.

Bonnie was right. He was no help to anyone in this weird stasis they were in. He missed obvious leads into finding Damon, failed to support Bonnie in the ways she needed. Hell, he had been more worried about Caroline pushing him away than Damon missing—which she wasn't even doing. Just that morning, she had promised to bring them lunch after house hunting with Alaric and the girls.

Eyes pinched shut, Stefan rubbed a hand over his face. His thoughts and emotions were so convoluted that he didn't sense the pillow util it landed square on his nose. He opened his eyes wide to an accusatory Bonnie.

"Stop it," she yelled again, holding another pillow in threat. "Guilt is useless, especially when you have no reason to feel guilty. You could save yourself a lot of heartache if you would just accept responsibility for your own decisions, then move on."

Stefan opened his mouth to answer, but Bonnie cut him off before he could begin.

"You do not get to feel guilty for not going to that vault with Damon," she said, her voice slow and deliberate. "Not only is Damon a grown-ass vampire who knew exactly how dangerous it would be, but Enzo did go after him and now he's gone, too. You're feeling guilty because it should have been you?"

Before he could nod, Bonnie stared angrily. "What about Caroline?"

All the fight left Stefan at that question.

"Guilt is selfish, Stefan," Bonnie continued. "As much as I might wish Enzo and Damon hadn't gotten themselves into this mess, I wouldn't for a second wish it was you instead. I might not have been broken in that case, but Caroline would have been.

"I've had three years with Enzo, and I know between the three of us that we'll get him and Damon back. But for those same three years, Caroline has been missing you. If you had come back, just to disappear again?"

She trailed off, letting the image she created sink in. Stefan could fill in the blanks; Caroline would have written him off for good, not that he could blame her. He felt heartbroken just at the thought.

"Yeah," Bonnie said, seeing the horrified realization on his face. "And I was genuinely happy to see you in a good mood this morning. You're an idiot if you think Caroline hasn't been internalizing all your unnecessary angst. The more you feel terrible, the more terrible she's going to feel because she can't fix it for you."

Bonnie's anger drained from her expression, a deep sadness taking over. She was exhausted from fighting her emotional turmoil. "I already do that to her enough," she admitted. "So just learn to be happy with being happy, and stop feeling guilty for the silver lining on this dark cloud."

Nodding, Stefan pulled her into a hug. She sagged against him, bone-tired. Pressed against his shoulder, Bonnie mumbled her biggest truth.

"If you blame yourself for Damon going in there alone, I have to blame myself for him going in at all. It was to save me," she whispered miserably.

Stefan reached up to hold her head, grounding her; he wished he could take the pain she held. For all that he and Caroline had worried for her, they rarely spoke directly in hopes of sparing Bonnie further distress. Clearly, the kid gloves approach hadn't helped at all. "It's not your fault," he said, if only for her to hear him say it.

Sniffing back tears, Bonnie pulled away to sink back into the couch. "I know," she answered, rolling her eyes. "That's my whole point. As much as I hate the fact they're gone because they wanted to save me, I can't regret it. I refuse to. All I can do now is find them, and you're of no help to me if you can't do the same."

"Okay," Stefan agreed instantly. He picked up the journal he had thrown aside to sit next to Bonnie. "Let's see what Bill knew about the Armory."

In a peaceful silence, they flipped through their respective volumes in a renewed sense of teamwork.

* * *

Quietly listening from the front porch, Caroline felt a proud smile stretch across her face.

When she stopped by to nick a few blood bags for her house, the last thing she expected was for her boyfriend and best friend to be fighting. As painfully emotional as it was, Caroline also felt a powerful relief as they let everything out. Bonnie was more okay than she thought, and they finally had new information to work from.

Caroline flashed away from the boarding house, content to leave them to their research. They could fill her in when she brought them food later that afternoon.

She wasn't worried at all.


	7. Un-Break My Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Bonnie had some things to get off her chest and gave Stefan some much needed perspective. Caroline overheard part of it, hoping it meant that Bonnie was adjusting better. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!

Bonnie threw down the last journal, her hands shaking with frustration. She had really thought this was it, that the clue she needed to find Damon and Enzo would be in these stupid diaries. Caroline had tried not to get lost in her father's words, but this was a side of him she had never known — or the side he only showed in his worst moments with her. Bonnie couldn't blame her for having different priorities.

But for Bonnie, finding the boys was essential. Three years of her life were dedicated to a bitter anger at Damon's desiccation, and Enzo would always be her favorite research partner. If she had any hope of achieving the balance Caroline always encouraged, it lied in Enzo. He was the one to care for her like Caroline did, making sure she ate and kept her strength up. But it was the idle foot rubs she missed as she read, his hand grazing the back of her neck just to distract her when she was losing focus already. Enzo was her balance, the light-hearted lover always at her side.

Damon was less about balance, though. Bonnie wasn't sure if she could even explain why Damon was so important, no matter how many times she tried to figure it out herself. Still, he was important, and she needed him, too.

Sitting alone in his room, the realization she might not get him back crushed her suddenly. Ugly sobs started to tear at her throat. Her arms wrapped around her knees, trying to contain her pain into the tight ball of her body until she could calm down. Tears rolled down her face until hiccups wracked her body, which only exacerbated her panic. Taking deep breaths, she struggled to stand and get out of the room.

Caroline had taken to spending the night at the boarding house when Alaric had the girls. Though Bonnie's human hearing was enough to protect her from whatever she and Stefan got up to, she didn't have the same privacy; they probably heard her breakdown.

When Bonnie finally knocked on Stefan's door, then, Caroline was hugging her faster than she could see. She must have been waiting impatiently on the other side of the door. Bonnie gave Stefan a weak smile over her shoulder, knowing he must have been the one to prevent the blonde from chasing down her crying friend.

Pulling back, Caroline gently wiped the tears from Bonnie's face. "Ice cream or booze?"

"Both," she answered miserably.

Dutifully noting Caroline's meaningful look, Stefan pulled himself out of bed to trudge down to the kitchen in his flannel pants.

"Don't forget the spoons," Caroline called, gently nudging Bonnie back to Damon's room. "Come on, we'll turn on some trash TV and cuddle."

Bonnie choked out a laugh, tucking herself further into Caroline's side as they walked. "Damon doesn't have a television," she pointed out, her breath hitching with the effort to speak.

Mumbling to herself, Caroline's only words to reach Bonnie's ears were "pretentious ass," but it was enough of a distraction to keep the heartbreak at bay. They piled onto the bed, Caroline gathering all the blankets to essentially cocoon them together. She fluffed the pillows with a cringe. "I hate that his bed is so comfy," she admitted.

"I wouldn't get used to it," Stefan joked from the doorway, his playful glare softened by the armful of bottles and ice cream tubs. In the other hand, he held a laptop and two spoons. As Caroline quickly organized his haul for their maximum enjoyment, Bonnie sent him a grateful glance. She had all but stolen his girlfriend for the night, all to grieve his own brother, and here he was with more support than she had a right to ask for. Like he could sense her thoughts, Stefan winked. "Have a good night," he said, leaning down to kiss Caroline's forehead. "You know where to find me."

"Yeah, yeah, love you," Caroline said hurriedly, pushing him away. "It's a girls' night now, go away."

With a brighter smile than Bonnie expected, he nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He ducked out of the room, leaving Bonnie with her oldest friend who was busy with the Netflix options.

"What are we looking for?" she asked, flipping through the Reality TV section. "Pure distraction in cooking competitions, maybe a nature show for big picture thinking, or steer into the skid with a dating show?"

Bonnie thought about it, realizing she needed to have a deep talk she wasn't ready for yet. To cope, she figured working through Caroline's issues first would help them both in the long run. "The wedding dress one," she said, meeting her surprised gaze evenly.

Glancing down to the hand that once wore a diamond ring, Caroline frowned. "Bon-"

"We might as well hash out everything tonight," she interrupted, picking up a carton of mint chocolate chip. She examined all the alcohol Stefan had brought, unsure which to pair with her ice cream.

Caroline scoffed as she reached for the white rum. "Fine," she acquiesced, "but we're doing all the big talks, okay? No chickening out on me." She poured a little rum into Bonnie's carton, shrugging at her curious glance. "It's close enough to a mojito."

After a bite, Bonnie was inclined to agree. She pressed play on Say Yes to the Dress. "So," she drawled. "I remember walking into prom, wondering if it was a preview for your wedding. I just never saw Alaric as the groom."

"That wasn't how it started," Caroline answered quietly.

It occurred to Bonnie that Stefan would probably be listening. "Oh," she breathed. "You don't have to-"

"It's okay," Caroline said, shaking her head as she poured some Kahlua into the chocolate ice cream. "I just meant that Ric didn't exactly propose with a wedding in mind."

Frowning, Bonnie ate some more of her 'mojito'; it sounded like she needed to be more drunk for this conversation. "What do you mean?"

"We were living in Dallas, and our neighborhood was a little leery of the professor living with someone young enough to be his daughter. We had to cop to the student-teacher story, but I started working at the station and people saw me as a competent adult. Rather than being creeped out, they started to think we were adorable."

"Like the old biddies of Mystic Falls," Bonnie realized, nodding in sympathy. "'When are you two crazy kids going to settle down and give those girls a real family?'"

"Exactly," Caroline agreed. "So about a year ago, we went and bought a ring. We knew we couldn't stay in Dallas forever; there would come a point when people would mistake my daughters for sisters - at ten years old. The plan was to move each time the girls would have to switch schools anyway, playing the newly engaged couple angle to avoid serious questions about the wedding."

"But that somehow turned into a real ceremony?"

Caroline looked mournfully at her ice cream. "One night, Lizzie asked why we weren't married. They had no idea that Mommy and Daddy sleeping in separate rooms was weird for a supposed couple, so they also didn't understand why we weren't married like other mommies and daddies. I knew- There had been a few moments where I thought Ric might have- It's only natural to feel some fondness for your partner, in any capacity. But, where I felt friendship…"

"He fell in love," Bonnie finished, wrapping her arm around Caroline's waist. This was a situation her friend found herself in more often than she wanted.

"And I do love him," Caroline said, "just not the way he wanted. Still, when Ric and the girls decorated the house in flowers the next day so he could propose for real, I didn't want to say no. They were my family — they are my family. Making it official didn't seem so bad, even if it wasn't the marriage I had ever imagined."

Leaning into her, Bonnie turned her attention to the laptop. "Was it going to be the wedding you imagined?"

Caroline snorted, her mood finally picking back up. "Not in the slightest," she huffed. "The only dress shopping I did was for the flower girl dresses, an event that makes me worry about shopping for their actual wedding dresses. Josie's a princess with exacting standards," she said, ignoring Bonnie's elbow to her side. "Lizzie is going to be such a hippie, I swear. Finding dresses that suited both of their needs, yet still coordinated, was a nightmare."

Bonnie laughed at the image. "They sound sweet," she said wistfully.

"They are," Caroline answered, guilt seeping into her voice. "I'm sorry you haven't met them yet."

"I haven't exactly been in the right state of mind," she admitted. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you and Stefan seem to be getting that balance we're always fighting over."

With a small smile, Caroline shoved another spoonful into her mouth. "He's been incredible," she whispered. "He's not so scared to share his insecurities and his fears with me, and I'm not so terrified he's going to leave me behind again."

Bonnie's face crumpled in pain. "At least he came back," she whispered, setting aside the carton in her hands. It clearly wasn't helping. "What if we never find them?"

"Not an option," Caroline denied, putting her own ice cream on the nightstand to pull her into a hug. "You're getting your happily ever after, Bonnie Bennett, if it's the last thing I do."

A miserable laugh escaped her. "You don't even like them," she pointed out.

"But I love you." Caroline squeezed tighter, which oddly allowed her to relax. "I don't have to like Damon or Enzo to search for them, because I love you. If you need them in your life, then I need them in your life, too."

Tears were slipping down her face, but Caroline didn't seem to mind as she cuddled her closer. She felt safe, the only reason she could understand sharing her biggest fear. "What if they don't want me anymore?"

"Impossible."

"No, Caroline," Bonnie said, burrowing deeper into her friend's hold. "I don't have my magic. I can't be the same badass they- Enzo loves. Worse, I can't be the same person I was. Magic was a part of me."

Sighing, Caroline paused before answering. "Magic is still a part of you, and it's never been all of you," she said. "I know we tend to treat you as the resident witch, but you are Bonnie, first and foremost. You're still my best friend, you're still the girl who has literally given her life to save all of us, so many times over. But I'm not saying you need to do that. Literally, do the opposite. No more dying."

Bonnie chuckled, though she still wasn't reassured. "I'm hardly useful anymore. I can't even do a damn locator spell, and they could be the next street over."

"You are worth a thousand times more than any magic," Caroline insisted, sounding angry. Bonnie knew the feeling was probably too familiar to the girl Caroline once was. "Your existence isn't predicated on you being useful, which you are anyway. You are the one driving this search, and you will ultimately be the reason Stefan can get his brother back. Hell, you're the only one fighting for Enzo - the man who cared for your every need for three years while actively surpassing your magic. I have a feeling he'll stick around."

"Yeah?" she asked miserably. Deep down, Bonnie knew wild dogs couldn't chase Enzo away; he was absurdly loyal like that.

Caroline nodded. "And it's not like I didn't consider him a friend once," she said. "I'm just glad he's finally putting all that attentive energy to someone who truly deserves it. And as for Damon…Bonnie, he saved you over Elena, more than once. I never thought he was capable of anything remotely selfless, even when it came to her or Stefan, but he managed it for you. When we find them, I will be telling them exactly how much groveling they owe you for stressing you out like this."

Letting out a deep breath, Bonnie finally felt calm. She knew Caroline too well, and acknowledging the emotional progress would only lead to clapping and talking more about it. Rather than dealing with that, Bonnie slid them both down until they were laying comfortably. "Shh," she shushed. "Let's pick out your dress for that June wedding I know you're still planning."

With a roll of her eyes, Caroline silently cuddled with her friend. They had been without this for too long, and Bonnie was grateful to have her now.

* * *

The next morning, Caroline snuck out of bed to ensure Bonnie didn't wake up. With the constant reminder of Bonnie's mortality niggling in her brain, she took a moment to appreciate how young she looked in her sleep. It always surprised her when she realized how young they still were; they had seen so much.

More pertinent to Caroline's concerns, though, was what had been said. Well, what Stefan overheard. Last night's conversation hadn't been easy for her, and she could only imagine how he felt hearing about her relationship with Alaric without the opportunity to participate in the discussion. Considering her plans to go shopping with her ex-fiancé that day, she figured it would be best to do a quick debrief with her boyfriend.

She knocked softly on his door, opening it to find him still in bed. His too even breathing told her he was already awake, despite his closed eyes. Happy to play his game, Caroline tiptoed toward the bed and slipped under the covers. Stefan smiled, but he still didn't move until she placed her toes against his shin.

"Why are your feet always cold?" he whined teasingly, laughing when she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tight.

"So you have an excuse to warm me up," she whispered, kissing him softly as he reciprocated her embrace. He finally opened his eyes, contentment clear as he met her bright smile with his own. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he said, leaning over to kiss her neck. "I missed you."

Caroline hummed in agreement. "It was good, though, I think," she said. "Bonnie's still asleep."

His eyebrows rose wickedly, but Caroline batted his shoulder before he could act on any of those thoughts he was having. "Ric and I are taking the girls shopping, we need to furnish his place," she reminded him. He had been the one to help her expedite buying the house with compulsion, but Stefan often took a step back if Alaric was involved. "I just wanted a little alone time with you before I go."

"We're alone now," Stefan pointed out, moving to the other side of her neck.

Tempted as she was to let him do his thing, she knew better than to allow Stefan to distract her. "Ah," she stopped him, arching her neck away from his mouth. "Alone time to talk," she clarified. At his look of comprehension, she figured it was better to just start talking. "You heard a lot last night, including details you've never really asked about."

Playing with her ponytail, Stefan smiled softly. "I love you," he said. "And I want to be your family, too."

"You are," she answered. "I love you, and I love them."

"Balance," he said, shrugging. "The girls come first, I understand that. I also understand that Ric fills a part of your life in a way I'll never be able to."

Grasping at his back, Caroline felt all her worries rush forward. "That's why I wanted to talk, to make sure you knew that you fill a part of my life that no one can ever replace. Stefan, you're…you!"

He cupped her cheeks, pulling her toward him for a kiss until they were both smiling too much. "Caroline," he sighed against her lips. "I know. We're okay, I promise." The relief was instant, and her resulting kisses just made him smile more. In between her effusive pecks, though, he still managed to take her by surprise. "So, June wedding?"

A furious blush took over her face, and she ducked to hide it in the curve of his shoulder. "It's an old joke," she mumbled.

"I know," he teased happily. "There's something about June, though."

Caroline chewed on her lip as she slowly pulled back, taking in his serious expression. "There was something I wanted to ask you," she told him, letting her fingers trace patterns across his skin. "Stefan Salvatore."

His fingers tightened on her waist. "Yes?"

"Will you," she paused, her eyes fluttering closed as she couldn't meet his eyes, "take Bonnie to a nice breakfast for me?"

With mock outrage, he wrestled her to the bed. "Playing with a man's ego is a dangerous game," he teased, scraping his teeth against her jaw.

Flipping them both, she straddled his lap and smothered his teasing with another deep kiss. "It's a good thing I play to win," she whispered back, nuzzling her nose with his until she jumped up. "Seriously though, get her out of the house. It'll be good for both of you so you don't miss me too much." She bounced out of the room, planning to vamp-speed to her house so she could get ready for the day.

But he called out, "I love you!" before she could leave the boarding house, so really it was Stefan's fault she had to flash back to give him a proper goodbye kiss.

* * *

"I swear, I don't know if it's more exhausting trying to keep up with them," Alaric said, nodding toward where the girls were playing on a bunk bed set, "or with you."

"Come on," Caroline defended, holding up the lamp. "This would look perfect on your fireplace! It matches the tiling of the hearth and everything." She smiled sweetly until he wrote down the item number for them to order online.

It had been a long few hours, she would admit, but they had already found the important furnishings he needed. The fact she was getting excited about the decorations was a great sign; they were just looking for the sake of looking at that point. "This was fun," she said happily. "I needed it after last night."

Coughing delicately, Alaric's face held great restraint. "Another fight with Stefan?"

"No," she answered. "Bonnie had a bad night. Losing her magic was like losing a limb for her. I can only do so much when I don't know how to help her."

They watched the girls play a little while longer; their innocent elation over a bed that could be a fort was plenty of entertainment for their parents. It was during that quiet moment when Alaric cocked his head. "I think I know how you can help Bonnie," he said, still watching the twins.


	8. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Bonnie wasn't doing better than Caroline thought, and they had a much needed girls' night. Luckily, Alaric has an idea that might help Bonnie adjust to life without magic. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!

"Hey," Caroline greeted. The kitchen table was once again full of books, covering the map that had fallen by the wayside. Stefan and Bonnie were stuck and looking for new angles on old material, and she was not surprised to find them both poring through more research. "Anything new?"

"Nothing yet," Stefan answered, scrubbing a hand over his face. He pulled her into his lap when she was close enough, ignoring Bonnie's teasing look. "I figured you would still be shopping."

Caroline snorted. "I'm more efficient than that, it was more of a second look before deciding to buy."

Kissing her temple, Stefan smiled. "Of course, my mistake," he said. "Does Ric have the girls?"

"Actually," Caroline drawled, moving to her own seat next to Bonnie. "I was wondering if they could come over here." She stared at her friend, as though she was asking her permission and not Stefan's. "Ric and I were hoping to introduce them to Aunt Bonnie, and…"

Bonnie waited for her to finish the sentence, poking her when she didn't. "Introduce them to Aunt Bonnie and…?"

"Maybe explain to them about being witches and what it means and that Aunt Bonnie is a witch too though it's a little different but you also know the most about Jo's family and their magic," Caroline explained in a rush, deflating a bit afterward. "I am so not equipped to have that conversation by myself, and Ric thought having a witch explain it could help the girls not feel so…different. 'You're special' can only work for so long before they start replacing it with 'You're weird' in their minds."

Stefan took her hand under the table, but Caroline was focused entirely on Bonnie's reaction. She wanted this to work for everyone involved, and Bonnie needed to feel comfortable for it to help her come to terms with losing her magic. "You don't have to if you don't want to," she assured in a pleading voice. "And you don't have to meet them, even, if you're not ready or just don't want to. I'm not trying to pressure you to do anything you don't want to do."

"I want to meet them," Bonnie said, nodding hesitantly. "But I'm not sure I'll be much help without my own magic."

The doorbell rang. Shaking her head, Caroline stood to answer it. "I think you'll be the perfect person to help with this, no matter what," she said before ducking out of the kitchen. She tried not to smile as she listened to Stefan reassure Bonnie.

"They're cute, and they'll love you instantly," he promised. "They're mini Carolines."

"Oh, boy," Bonnie sighed, making Caroline laugh as she opened the door.

Lizzie and Josie were holding hands, their eyes full of awe as they took in the massive house. "It looks like a castle," Josie whispered, peeking around Caroline to look inside. "Does Stefan really live here?"

Leaning down to kiss them both, Caroline crouched to meet their eyes. "Yep," she nodded. "And so does your Aunt Bonnie. Would you like to meet her?"

Their little mouths dropped open in surprise before nodding excitedly. Chuckling, she cocked her head toward Alaric. "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you?" he asked right back, and Caroline had to admit that she wasn't sure. Three years of a strictly supernatural-free life had been pretty great, even if it couldn't last forever. Letting the witches cat out of the bag seemed irreversible, though, which worried her. "We don't have to."

Watching their parents, the girls crossed their arms in defiance. "We want to meet Aunt Bonnie," Josie snapped, stomping her foot.

"Yeah," Lizzie seconded.

Stroking their hair, Caroline smiled. "Okay, if you feel that strongly about it," she said, meeting Alaric's eyes. "She's in the kitchen with Stefan."

As soon as she pointed, the girls ran off. They cheered at seeing Stefan, but Caroline turned to Alaric. "We can still back off the witch talk," she reminded him.

He grabbed her hand to pull her to the kitchen. "They need to know sooner or later, and it will be better to normalize the issue and give them plenty of support while they're still young," he reasoned. Alaric stumbled in his even pace, though, once they found the girls literally hugging Stefan's legs. Still, he laughed at the sight. "Moonlighting as a jungle gym?"

"Apparently," Stefan answered with an exaggerated sigh. "Did you two come to visit me?"

"No," Lizzie answered imperiously as she released him, facing the other person in the room. "Are you our Aunt Bonnie?"

Carefully standing, Bonnie nodded in amazement; they really were mini Carolines. "I hope so," she said kindly. "Because I'd be pretty lucky to have nieces like you." She crouched down, allowing the girls to tackle her in a big hug.

Caroline watched, squeezing Alaric's hand. The rush of emotion was almost more than she could handle, though she quickly wiped away any tears. "Hey," she said, joining the hug. "I want in on this action."

Sensing the girl talk vibe of the room, Alaric clapped Stefan on the back. "How about you fill me in on this research over a drink?"

Caroline peeked over her shoulder as the men left the kitchen, pleasantly surprised at the easy interaction. While a part of her wanted Alaric there with the girls for this conversation, she figured he knew what he was doing by leaving them alone. Coughing, she broke the embrace to set the girls at the table. "Girls, do you want to introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Josie, and this is my sister, Lizzie," Josie answered automatically. Caroline shook her head at the tendency to speak for them both. "Mommy says you're Aunt Bonnie because you're like a sister to her, but we can't call Stefan 'Uncle Stefan' because Daddy says that would be weird."

Bonnie stifled a laugh as Caroline rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. "Well, then I guess I'm the only who gets to spoil some awesome nieces," she said. Looking to her friend, Bonnie took the hint to broach the subject. "You know, I heard that you two are pretty special."

Lizzie gasped, while Josie seemed suspicious. "Mommy says that's a secret," she said. "How do you know about it?"

"It's a secret," Caroline agreed, taking her daughters' hands, "but Bonnie was the first one to tell me about how special people can be. Do you remember how you opened the door for me and Daddy?"

"We were the keys," Lizzie whispered behind her hand.

"That's right, you were the keys. That's because you and Josie have magic."

They both gasped that time, eyes wide at their mother's declaration. "Like witches?" Josie asked in concern. She loved her fairytales, and witches were never the good guys.

"Like me," Bonnie answered, smiling gently. "I found out I was a witch when I was seventeen years old, but you guys are only three. That's amazing!"

Josie cocked her head, trying to resolve her idea of witches with the kind woman sitting across from her. "Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

While Caroline wanted to face palm for her daughter's blunt question, Bonnie surprised them all by laughing. "I'm a good witch, but that's a really good question to ask every once in a while," she answered. "Still, it's important that we don't tell anyone else how special we are. Not everyone believes in witches. Your mom didn't, not at first."

The girls pinned her with an angry glare, and Caroline threw up a finger. "In my defense, I was only seventeen, too," she said. "And I didn't get the floating feather demonstration Elena did."

"You can float feathers?" Lizzie bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Not anymore," Bonnie admitted. "I lost my magic, but I loved being a witch."

"You lost it?" Lizzie asked, morose.

Josie moved to climb into Bonnie's lap. "You can still help us be witches, right?" she asked quietly.

Wrapping the girl in a hug, Bonnie tried not to cry. "I hope so," she whispered. "But I'm still your Aunt Bonnie, no matter what. I'll be here for you, just like Stefan will."

"And you know how much Daddy and I love you," Caroline added, pulling Lizzie into her own hug.

"This much," Lizzie dragged out, stretching her arms as wide as they would go.

"And more," Caroline affirmed, tickling her daughter a bit.

"Hey, girls," Alaric said, clapping as he entered the kitchen with a serious Stefan following him. "I think it's time for us to go to the park, what do you say?"

"Can Aunt Bonnie come?" Josie asked, peeking up at the woman holding her.

He shook his head. "Just Daddy," he answered. "Aunt Bonnie has to stay here with Mommy and Stefan."

The girls pouted, but both stood reluctantly. They hugged each adult in turn before Alaric led them back to the car, promising them a fun daddy-daughter day.

Confused, Caroline watched them go before facing Stefan. "What's going on?"

Glancing toward his girlfriend, Stefan eventually turned to Bonnie. "I think I know where Damon and Enzo are."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, a pit of worry eating at her stomach as Caroline took her hand. "Where are they?"

Frowning, Stefan sighed. "Atlanta," he answered, "where a string of bloody attacks has been kept under wraps. The FBI are just now involved, and the news report referenced two dark-haired, white males as the main suspects."


	9. Out of the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on We Persevere: Bonnie finally met the twins, only for the happy family moment to be broken by a lead on Damon and Enzo. They match the description of suspects responsible for bloody murder scenes in Atlanta. Many thanks to my beta bestie, Twilight016!

Though Atlanta was only a few hours away, Bonnie felt like she had been in the car for years. Caroline was the only one relaxed enough to drive, and even she vibrated with energy. Bonnie, sitting in the passenger seat, had to physically hold down the blonde's knee as it pounded rhythmically against the floorboard.

Stefan was no better in the backseat, his hands cradling his head most of the way. He checked his phone every so often, looking for any updates on the situation through local news outlets. With nothing new to report, he would sigh and throw his phone on the seat before assuming his worried position again.

Whipping down the highway, Caroline tried to fill the awkward silence with optimistic chatter. "So, I was thinking that the girls could meet up with you every day or so, practicing little skills to keep their magic fresh and make it more of a routine. Routine is so important for them, you know," she said, which brought a weak smile to Bonnie's face.

"That sounds nice," she replied. "I barely even met them, it'll be great to spend more time with them."

"That's true," Caroline realized with a furrowed brow. "Oh god, I haven't even thought about Damon and Enzo coming home. The changes just keep on coming."

Bonnie shrugged, her worries creeping up on her again. "They're young."

"Too young." Caroline bit her lip in thought. "I mean, should Damon and Enzo even be around them? We don't know what we're walking into, and they might be beyond help. Ric is still pissed at Damon, too. I doubt he even wants him to meet the girls."

Sounding tired, Stefan landed a hand onto Caroline's shoulder from behind. "Let's not worry about that until we have to," he urged softly. "We have no idea what's going on in Atlanta, and we still need a plan."

"We get them back, whatever it takes," Bonnie answered automatically. "Whatever happened to them, we can fix it. We have to." She pretended not to notice Caroline's concerned look to Stefan in the rearview mirror. "Even if you don't believe they're under the influence of whatever was in that vault, which they are, you have to admit that they wouldn't have left me behind. Enzo wouldn't have left me behind."

"I know." Caroline's voice was small, the tone a familiar sign that she was wrong. Bonnie was surprised; her friend was clearly trying to give Damon and Enzo the benefit of the doubt, despite everything they had done to ensure her bad opinion. "Something is wrong, but don't think for a second that I trust them in this state. I will vamp speed you out of there so fast if they even consider baring their fangs in your direction."

Bonnie wanted to respond, but Caroline pinned her with an iron glare. "I am not explaining to Josie and Lizzie why Aunt Bonnie is missing a chunk of her neck," she said, adamant.

Swallowing, Bonnie had to admit it was a possibility. As much as she wanted to be offended on their behalf, Enzo and Damon had too much bad history to defend their current killing spree. The terror that she might have lost them forever was growing, and she desperately needed to change the subject. "Well, I'm sure Uncle Stefan could take a crack at that explanation."

Stefan groaned from the backseat. "I'm never going to live that down," he pouted.

"Nope," Caroline smirked, winking in the mirror. "But I'm sure Damon will have plenty of wisecracks about the title."

Bonnie shook her head. "Enzo will have more fun with it," she insisted. She remembered his antagonism toward Stefan, all of which he poorly explained over their three years of isolation. While Bonnie used to think their mutual dislike was centered on Caroline, it quickly became apparent to her that it always went back to Damon.

"He's just jealous he doesn't get to be Uncle Enzo," Stefan prodded.

"Unless he makes an honest woman out of Aunt Bonnie," Caroline warned, "then over my dead body. Same goes for Damon."

Blushing, Bonnie slid down in her seat. "I'm not the one who's got weddings on the brain," she accused mulishly. She loved Enzo and wanted to be with him, but marriage came with its own set of difficulties. They still hadn't been given a chance to address the no-magic issue, and she was still human.

Caroline narrowed her eyes, but Stefan's hand had reappeared on her shoulder. "Whatever," she muttered, focusing back on the road. "We'll probably hit Atlanta in an hour."

Bonnie's heart beat faster. Finally, she would have her home back.

* * *

Every second they grew closer to finding Damon, the more nervous Stefan felt. While Caroline was a ball of barely contained energy in the driver's seat, he had to remind himself to move and get the blood flowing to his legs. Whatever the situation was, he was going to need his full strength to save his brother.

The few moments of peace he found came from watching Caroline, reminding him that she would be there with him the entire way. Even after everything he had done, the three years that were stolen from them, he could glance into the mirror and catch her smile. That inexplicable hope never seemed to leave her, and he would rather die than be the one to ruin that again.

Despite his aversion to being considered an uncle, Stefan liked that the girls didn't hesitate to consider him family. It meant Caroline considered him family. After losing Lexi, his mother, his child, and his brother several times over, Stefan still felt like a part of something better. He didn't waste away in despair over Damon this time; he had faith in Caroline's optimism and Bonnie's determination.

He had family to rely on.

Still, he wanted Damon back. Though he had no doubt he would give Caroline that June wedding someday, she wasn't a Salvatore yet. For better or worse, he needed Damon in his life, too. Following bloody news articles wasn't exactly new for them, but brothers had to stick together.

A phone rang, distracting Stefan from his thoughts. Bonnie pulled hers from her pocket, answering quickly once she saw the screen. "Matt," she breathed. "Did you find anything?"

She had called their friend while still at the boarding house. His police contacts were still useful after he left Mystic Falls, and Bonnie asked him to keep an ear to the Atlanta emergency scanners in case there were any leads on Damon and Enzo.

"There's a bar on the edge of town, Last Call," Matt answered through the line. "A 911 call just went through, someone screaming about all the blood."

Caroline's eyes met his through the mirror again, and he clenched his jaw.

"Thanks, Matt," Bonnie responded. "Send the address, and we'll take care of it."

"Take care of yourselves," he implored before hanging up. Bonnie's phone pinged with a text message, the promised address and a link to its coordinates.

Caroline gulped audibly with a desperate look in her eye. "At least a survivor managed to call?" she said, though it sounded more like a question. It was like she was searching for a bright side to his brother and Bonnie's boyfriend murdering people. "Maybe the blood is important, like how Silas had to drink so much."

"It's wasteful," Stefan answered, resigned. "The only vampires that feed like this—"

"Are Rippers," Bonnie finished. Her grim face spoke volumes, and Stefan saw the weight of his brother's actions actually droop her shoulders. "What the hell was in that vault?"

Worried, Caroline blindly reached a hand to Bonnie's knee. "Nothing we can't fight," she insisted. "Hell, even I think Damon and Enzo are strong enough to come to their senses. They made it through Augustine together, and this time they have you waiting for them. And you're not waiting, you're going to pull them back from the edge by their collars if you have to."

Stefan focused all his attention on Caroline's voice, her adamant strength the only thing keeping him sane. The Ripper was his worst self; his only consolation was that Damon never had to disassociate like he did. Damon was violent, terrible, and cruel as a vampire, but he understood his balance to humanity more than Stefan ever could. Stefan needed Caroline to help mind his balance, but Damon walked that edge all on his own.

So what pushed him over?

Terrified to find out, Stefan could only wait as Caroline pushed the pedal down, making the car inch along their trek faster.

* * *

Last Call was a depressing joint, one of those rundown bars that lost its sheen decades earlier. The entire place reeked of evil, the tang of blood thick in the air. They hadn't even gone in yet, and it just felt like death to Caroline. She idly wondered if Bonnie felt it, too; magic connected her to nature, but she wasn't sure if that connection still existed without her powers to fuel it.

She hoped not, for Bonnie's sake. There would be no turning back from this massacre, Caroline knew. If Enzo and Damon were really causing this much damage, she would tear the hearts from their chests herself. Bonnie would be strong enough to cope. Losing Bonnie and Stefan because of it would break Caroline, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

She persevered, like Scarlett O'Hara.

There was always tomorrow, and she had the girls to look after. There would be no running from her problems like she did after her mother passed, no hiding like she did with Ric. Caroline could face her fears and overcome them by herself if she needed to. Glancing back to Stefan, she knew it would be harder than before; it would be a problem of her own making, and she wouldn't be able to blame Stefan and Bonnie for hating her.

But she would manage. She had survived worse, and she had so much more to do with her life.

A sick part of her even hoped for that outcome, if only to rid herself of the inevitability that Josie and Lizzie really would consider them family. Uncle Enzo would be Aunt Bonnie's perfect love, the prince in all her fairy tales and happily ever afters. He wouldn't be the one kidnapping the princess's friend or betraying her trust. No, he'd be the hero. And Uncle Damon—

Caroline shivered unconsciously. While she knew Stefan was in this for the long haul, she resented him a bit for dragging Damon back into her life. All the love she felt for Stefan was more than worth the barbs, but she would never consider his brother to be family. Stefan could keep him. Bonnie wanted him.

Caroline didn't.

Still, she stretched her cramped hands as they clambered out of the SUV. Driving for hours was a bitch, though Stefan gently massaged the hand he had taken so they could walk into the bar together. His presence reminded her to be strong. As hard as this would be for her, it was going to be so much worse for Stefan and Bonnie.

They expected better of Damon and Enzo, against all reason and evidence to the depravity of which they were capable.

Bonnie was itching to run inside the bar, but Caroline hadn't been kidding about whooshing her away at the first sign of danger. She put an arm around her friend's waist, just in case the very human Bonnie made herself a target by barging in.

Reaching the door, Caroline hesitated before pushing it open. The overwhelming scent of blood triggered her fangs, Stefan's sudden absence of breath a sign he was trying to restrain himself from reacting the same way. She squeezed his hand and walked inside, pulling Bonnie to walk somewhat behind her.

"Come to join the party, gorgeous?"

She turned to find a dark-eyed Enzo cockily waiting on a bar stool amidst the wreckage of the room. Body parts were strewn about, a few heads sat on the pool table in the corner, and Damon was leaning over a jukebox, humming to himself. He turned at Enzo's greeting with a wicked grin.

Caroline used to think hell was accompanied by the sting of werewolf venom or the smell of sunflowers at her mother's funeral. Standing in the middle of humans broken apart like toys past their usefulness, though, she realized hell began and ended with Damon Salvatore's cold, blue eyes.

"Hello, brother."

_**the end** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, liked, replied, reblogged, commented or left kudos on We Persevere. Unfortunately, I have reached the end of my originally planned outline, meant to cover the time jump and bring us to the events of the Season 8 premiere. This has been a blast to write, and I truly appreciate all the love and support from the fandom.
> 
> For those who are upset this is a rather abrupt and unfulfilling end (my beta included), I am sorry. This story was always meant to bridge the SC reunion in Season 7 to the final upcoming season, and I hope I've accomplished that.
> 
> However, I am very pleased to announce that I will be opening up the weperseverebyhonestgrins blog to canon prompts on any of the character dynamics. It can be as simple as a ship name + the situation you wish happened dropped in my Ask box, and I will do my best to fulfill it. I very rarely turn down prompts, but I will always explain right away if I can't do one justice. Please note that I am only asking for canon-related prompts, though I will accept any from the entire run of the show.
> 
> Any drabbles that come from these prompts will be published as part of a new collection, titled Until the Bitter End.
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for reading We Persevere. It's been an honor to share this with you.


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